ElMarko

Excellent post. I noticed the great push up the middle immediately. From up top (upper deck), it was plain as day that the middle of our line was getting great leverage and push from the get-go... frankly, something I haven't seen in YEARS. Having Wood at center HAD to me the biggest factor. Heck, we had a practice squad addition playing guard next to him! You can tag it on their DT's, but Wood looked like he was at his correct position - and the results were immediate - even with their beef in there. Spiller was able to get yards off-guard, as well. Not sure Hangartner's contract status, but Wood is HAPPY and productive at center. Leave him there for the next 10 year and build around him.

They picked Steve Tasker off the "garbage pile"

...and then Miller takes a dump against an aggressive offensive team. Lets an easy one in under his arm - then a bad puck play behind the net - dumping it right to Crosby for the killer goal. He was the difference in the game - because he got outplayed. Better make up for it against Ottawa Wednesday.

The same things being said about Wilson (and the team) today were all said in closely the same manner back in the horrible 80's... Doom. Gloom. "Forget it - I'm switching to another team." The only thing different is the number printed for Ralph's age. But then we got a quarterback and a decent head coach. All-Pro's. Playoffs. Superbowls. Everyone jumped back on the bus. The 80's were forgotten about and the Bills were a franchise that everyone respected. For cryin' out loud - have some perspective people.

Exactly! The internet nonsense out there that gets reported on by "real" news agencies now is simply appalling. But because it's only sports - no one really cares. Kudos to one news agency for getting it right.

Damn straight it's the players. Of course the coach matters - but Bill Cowher lost FOUR AFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES AT HOME until he had Ben Roethlisberger under center. Who's the head coach in Indy again?

Factoring the juicy tidbit that Jim Kelly and Jim Harbaugh had a very dubious relationship - should have been mentioned. If Kelly has ANYTHING to do with the Bill's head coaching process, there's seems a ZERO chance they offered him the job. At the end of career as a player, Kelly questioned his toughness while working for ESPN. Harbaugh confronted and slugged him, hurting his hand and losing multiple games of playing time. Kelly questioned this even happening, however... http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-67853231.html

Four losses in AFC Championship games - AT HOME. Only coach in all of football history to have that distinction.

You're trying to equate supporting the home team and ONE aspect of civic pride with green hair? And you missed the basic point of it NEVER happening with high-school or college sports. Way off the subject?!? Heck, you're not even in the same classroom anymore! What the heck does teaching your children these OTHER good things have to do with this conversation? Why try to take an individual's ONE example of something and make it seem like a universal that needs comparison?

This is the best post I've read on this site the entire year. I can't believe how many parents out there just laugh when asked about their kid wearing a Dolphins jersey in WNY. Sure - you can route for whatever team you want in this free nation of ours, but it goes deeper than that. Why route for your high-school team when they haven't won a game in 4 years (like my high school football team when I attended)? Go with the winner, right! Even if it is the cross town rival. When that kid grows up and attends Niagara University - will they wear a Canisius jersey to class just to be a punk? What lessons do people teach when civic pride and backing your hometown (or alma mater) are lost? Which begs the question - why do they make Dolphins' winter parkas anyway?

Before the SuperBowl win - there were entire websites devoted to Cowher's "System of Failure" in Pittsburgh. I think it's so funny how things change over time. Granted, they finally did win a SuperBowl - and that is a HUGE thing - but Cowher was being regulated to "loser in the big game" status as a headcoach before 2005. Wonder how people would react to a Bills' head coach losing four AFC Championship games AT HOME. After the fourth loss, the walk out of the Ralph sure would be interesting...

What NFL Head Coach LOST FOUR AFC Championship games AT HOME? Hint: He lost his first playoff appearance to the Buffalo Bills. And the answer is: Bill Cowher

Bills text message...

Actually, the space is being made for T-McGee. They have to get his contract extended before Monday.

The team was 3-0 with Walker starting at LT last year. The league stats show that he "gave up" 3 sacks ALL SEASON - primarily playing RT (12 games). Moreover, the team was able to run LEFT with more consistency when Walker started on the left side. Will he perform up to needed on the left die for a whole year? It remains to be seen, but posts would be much better if they started with the FACTS - rather than opinions.

The Losman fumble play against the Jets was a CALLED PASS TO THE FULLBACK. Losman saw the FB blocking a full out blitz and rolled right ON HIS OWN. And I may add that he probably was hoping that our All-Pro LT would be able to get a piece of the blitzing corner on the outside left. As we now know, the corner treated Peters like a parking meter and ran right past Jason's whiff. After the game, Turk said JP should have thrown the ball away quickly because it was a busted play. Turk called the play - not Jauron Get yer facts straight.

The most troublesome aspect of our running game last year was running to the LEFT. We just couldn't do it - especially in short yardage situations. I could never figure that out, since we did have the best left tackle in pro football. Also - ever notice how our QB sneaks go nowhere? Once again, so odd, since Jim McNally said we had the most dominant blocking tackle he ever seen, after coaching Anthony Munoz. You'd think we could sneak a yard to the left at least once. I thought we had our franchise LT with Peters - and believed the hype as long as I could. But sitting in the upper deck and focusing on our line play sure didn't reveal this. Granted, our center position level of play was a joke, but still...

It looked legal to me until I saw Channel 7's field level reply on their half-hour show at 11:30pm last night. It seemed quite obvious to me that the kicker hit the ball with his leg BEFORE it traveled 10 yards - as he was trying to "guard" it while running next to the ball. The exact play - but with the correct call - happened during a bills game years ago. I believe it was Steve Christie who touched it while running next to the kick. The ball touching his leg made it move just enough to knock it out of line while heading toward the Bills player (Corto, I believe) If there were multiple angle cameras being used on that play, there may have been an option for a Juron replay. This is why the replay is biased against "bigger" games during the week. The networks use more cameras for the "national" games (i.e. Sunday night, Monday night, etc.) so... Still - it seems odd to be outplayed on Special Teams... and still win. The Roscoe punt return (which essentially iced the game) at the end made up for it a bit.

The key point on this is that the Miami regular season game is also not sold out yet. If that game were in Orchard Park - it would be completely sold out RIGHT NOW - with all that money in the Bills bank account earning interest. I realize that the team is making more money from the lump sum payment they are getting from Rogers, but as a long time season ticket holder - watching this happen truly suks... especially when I had a beer with an old friend (who moved to Washington 5 years ago) last night, and had to tolerate the "Toronto Bills" nonsense for at least an hour. Oh yeah, viability. I have to remember... it's all about "viability."

This IS NOT a post to defend Lynch. If he broke the law - punish him as any other person would be punished. That being said - has anyone tried to drive around Chippewa at that time of night (morning)? It's actually quite amazing - and sickeningly funny to watch. But more importantly, DRUNK PEOPLE DO NOT WATCH WHERE THEY ARE WALKING! While stone cold sober, I almost took out a group of 4 guys who didn't even look at traffic. I have been saying there will be carnage down there someday. People stumble out on Delaware against the green light and EXPECT cars to stop for them... even if going 30 mph with a head of steam. Jaywalking, the taunting of cars, fights rolling into the street... Funny side note - the guys who walked in front of me had some great beer muscles going on that night... they ran after my car for a few hundred yards. I kept slowing down too keep 'em running. Drunk people are easy to mess with.

We were originally told that the lottery was for Bills' season ticket holders as well. Then one morning we all get an email from Rogers - saying tickets are on sale NOW - here's your password. No warning - no mention of the aforementioned lottery. Then the password didn't work for Bills season ticket holders for several hours - only for Argo's season ticket holders... who promptly only purchased a few thousand seats - mostly the cheapest seats available - because they were all gone by the time my password worked. I'm just surprised that none of this ticket snafu information has ever made the press and that no one on the boards seems to even care. I have my tickets - and I plan on using some of them, thanks - but it all seems so "seedy" to me.

I don't get this ticket deal at all. As a season ticket holder, I was told of this "lottery" as well... but then as most of us seem to know, we we're given this password protected Ticketmaster site to buy through a few weeks ago. Which I promptly took advantage of. Even though the $65 tickets were gone, I was able to purchase corner, upper endzone seats for $85 each. (including all fees) for the 8 game package. And still, the Buffalo News reports about this "lottery" happening? A single regular season ticket in Toronto - FIVE years from now - at $85 per seat - seems like a no-brainer buy to me. Either way you slice it - this Toronto ticket deal has been a cluster...

What we need to be told as Bills fans is the definition of "viable." That is the word said over and over and over again by the Bills brass. Viable? Isn't a business that profits in the millions of dollars and grows tremendously in net worth EVERY year the very definition of viable? Smart football minds say a strong product on the field is the best way to make your team more viable. Certainly making your team play an extra "away" game once per year - in the very season (i.e. outdoors in winter, in Buffalo) where your home field advantage helps the most, doesn't help the team on the field. I have been a strong supporter of Ralph Wilson over the years - but this boils down to him being upset over not making as much PROFIT as Jimmy Jones or the other big-market teams. As a long time season ticket holder - and Erie County tax payer - I'm severely bothered by this. I do understand that a football organization is a business and is allowed - and should - make a profit. But many other business decisions can be made to make this team more viable. Making your team play an additional away game - at a time when you are experiencing 95% sell-outs at your real home - just doesn't make sense. Especially putting the game in a city with the most fair weather fans ever. Go to mid-week Blue Jays game next week - you'll have about 15,000 empty seats to choose from.

So the only "real" home game in pre-season is on a Thursday night?

A full 50% of SPORTS fans in Toronto couldn't care less about american football. The majority of people in that city were born in other countries and are FAR larger supporters of the "other" football... soccer. If the corporations don't buy the seats, the Toronto-played Bills "home" games will quickly go from a novelty to a joke up there. If anyone has ever spent time in Toronto during the World Cup - you'd understand.